Angel in the Dark Sky
by LeiZ
Summary: Lei keeps his promise and helps Yoshimitsu infiltrate the Ziabatsu. All is well, but his assistance and intervention of a war he never started costs him more than he bargained for. Bryan/Lei
1. The Problematic Cop

Angel in the Dark Sky

Summary: Kunimitsu and Bryan has sided with Kazuya. Yoshimitsu and Lei are working together to stop them. With constant battles in the urban streets of Tokyo, who will succeed in the end?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tekken or its characters. End of story.

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**Chapter One: The Problematic Cop**

Lei stood by the bus stop, waiting for the bus to arrive. It seemed that the bus was late than usual, ten minutes had gone by since its designated arrival time. Oh well, it's not like they were expecting him at the station soon, especially when his boss clearly told him to stay for at least two days in the hospital.

Lei stayed for only 10 hours.

He could still feel the raw pain on his upper arm where he had been shot. On top of that, the significant loss of blood due to the bullet wound had also contributed to his current weak state. He wasn't able to sleep properly, either. After what happened last night, Lei doubted he would ever sleep peacefully again.

One thing that stood out about Lei, other than his shrewdness and humour, would be his stubborn-like personality. Lei was an odd mixture, like a bittersweet concoction. Sometimes he was very pleasing; on the other hand, he can also be such an ass. The fact that Lei was not always "malleable" had caused more than a few headaches to his boss and superiors. So obviously, Lei was once again finding himself in hot water.

No sooner later, the bus came into view and off he went.

Traffic was mild today and he had arrived in a few minutes. The bus dropped him off at his desired stop, taking his time as he walked the rest of the way to the main entrance of the building. He had to come up with words to explain why he left the hospital without consent. Regardless of what it was, he had to face whatever consequence his boss will give him.

Lei made his way through a narrow corridor before then reaching a wide room separated by small cubicles full of busy detectives. He ignored the noise accompanying the constant movement of people and everything else as he passed through and out the crowded room.

"Lei? Is that you?"

One voice was prominent from the clatter, which came from a man who saw Lei walk past the room. Lei turned and saw the man making his way towards the Chinese detective.

"It is you! The Chief'll be pissed with you if he finds out you ditched the hospital."

Lei shrugged. "Then don't tell him I left the hospital."

"I'm going to have to report this."

When Lei saw the other man saunter past him, he began to lose his cool demeanour. Instantly, he started to follow the other detective.

"C'mon Hayate. He's gonna be yelling at me for the next week if you tell him!"

It was too late for Hayate to be convinced, though as he opened the door. Lei sucked back a breath knowing not what to saw or how his boss would react if he saw him.

His boss was sitting rather comfortably in his desk, that is, until he saw the troublesome detective come in.

"Hi, s-"

"What the HELL are you doing here, Lei?!" his boss, who was now standing, boomed with anger.

Lei couldn't help but flinch at his boss' reaction. Just as he was about to speak, the phone rang. With a loud sigh, the Chief of Police answered the call. Lei's eyes wandered to the side before facing his boss once again when he heard the loud impact of the receiver being put down. It seemed the older man was even more enraged than before.

"Not only did you leave the hospital, you even had an argument with one of the nurses! This is outrageous of you!"

Looks like that was the hospital that just called in.

"They wouldn't let me out!" Lei cried out in defence.

"That's because you weren't supposed to be let out! Not only did you disobey me, you also caused trouble at the hospital! You're looking at a one-month suspension right now, Lei!"

"I don't see why I have to stay at that damned place. I'm feeling okay already. Besides, I'm not just going to lie in a hospital bed while the other detectives do their work."

The Chief sighed once more. It was hard to judge Lei's actions sometimes. Even though Lei broke the rules, he had to take note of his selfless concern for his colleagues. That or Lei's just being stubborn as usual. Still, a one-month suspension was a little too much...

"I'll deal with you about this later. Since you're already here, I may as well fill you up on the latest information about this case we're currently working on."

Lei let out a relieved sigh, feeling the air surrounding him begin to lighten up as he sat himself down. The Chief eased himself back to his seat.

"We were notified that Steve Fox was killed two days ago, about the same time he was reported missing."

Lei's eyes slightly widened following his boss' statement. He had a bad feeling about this...

His boss went on.

"So far, we haven't come up with a possible suspect."

"What about the mafia?" Lei suggested.

"Unless we actually find proof, all we can do is assume."

The long-haired man stood form his seat, ready to leave.

"Then I better go back to work." he said with a grin on his face. Another hopeless sigh was emitted from his boss.

"It's your body. You're old enough to make decisions."

Without further delay, Lei exited the office. He already had a good starting point as to where he could get more information. A place where none of his other fellow detectives yet to know about.


	2. Unpleasant Encounters

**Angel in the Dark Sky**

Summary: Kunimitsu and Bryan has sided with Kazuya. Yoshimitsu and Lei are working together to stop them. With constant battles in the urban streets of Tokyo, who will succeed in the end?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Tekken or its characters. End of story.

**Chapter Two: Unpleasant Encounters**

It was almost 9:00 when he left the office. Lei was in the process of exiting the building when Hayate caught up to him.

"Hey, where're you going?"

"Hmm...Maybe I shouldn't tell you since you can't keep your mouth shut." The shrewd detective replied thoughtfully yet rudely.

Hayate crossed his arms. "What you did was wrong and you know it. It's not my fault you always get yourself in trouble."

Without a word, the Chinese turned and walked out the double-doors. Now the Japanese was really annoyed. Once again, he followed Lei out the building, just in time to see the other man enter a white, tinted car. At the same time as Lei was about to turn the keys, Hayate's right hand swiftly reached through the rolled-down window of the vehicle and grasped Lei's hand before he could do so.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Lei?!"

Lei gave him a dirty look, his hazel-brown eyes locked on Hayate's darker ones.

"You novice detectives are such goody-goodies. Keep up the good work. We need more guys like you." he said with a hint of sarcasm. Promptly, he jerked Hayate's hand off of his and proceeded to run the engine, then drove away.

He didn't regret a thing he said.

That was the sad truth.

Detectives like Hayate act by the book: they're stuck with one way and fail to see the big picture. For 20 years working as a detective, he became very successful and respected not only because he was good at what he does, but also because he did what he believed in.

Despite how stubborn he was.

Caught up with his current state of mind, he didn't even notice that his destination was already in view.

Hotel Leanne

A few minutes later, he parked his car along the side of the building. He didn't bother parking it in the parking lot since he wasn't planning on staying too long. Lei made his way to the top floor of the hotel. If he remembered correctly, his secret 'informant' would be in room 315. He found the door with the number on it and knocked a couple of times. The door opened and revealed a blonde woman standing under the door frame.

"I didn't think you'd come, detective."

"I'm here to ask you a few questions. May I come in?"

Nina opened the door wider and allowed Lei to step inside. It was quite a small room, with only a couch and a bed on the far side. To the front were the wide glass windows, which occupied much of the wall. Needless to say, the room was small, yet well-bathed in sunlight. Lei also noticed the bulky luggage that lay on the bed.

"Are you going somewhere?" Lei questioned out of curiosity.

"Yeah, I have a plane to catch tonight." she passively replied as she plopped down on the couch.

"Did you know about Steve's death?"

For a moment, everything was quiet.

"I didn't kill him." she stated with much hesitance.

"I don't believe you."

"Steve was my son! Why would I kill him??!!"

In contrast to Nina's sudden frustration, the detective remained relaxed and continued to push her further on the issue.

"Perhaps because you were assigned to assassinate him?"

Oddly enough, Nina turned to face him from where she was sitting, a mischievous look on her lovely face.

"That doesn't matter, especially when the mafia has been wiped out, which means there was no reason for me to do so."

Okay, this was really starting to get confusing on Lei's behalf. He was so sure it had to be the mafia. He couldn't really think of anyone else who would be responsible for the crime.

"Then who's behind all this?"

Nina's eyes trailed up from the base of Lei's sleeveless shirt to his upper right arm, the exact spot where Lei's bandaged wound was.

"It's the same fellow who shot you."

_Bryan Fury..._

Lei impulsively grasped his wounded arm. "How did you know...?"

"I have my 'confidential' sources like you do. But that's all I'm aware of. I don't know why they killed him."

"'They'?"

"I was told he was with that masked girl. They seem to be working with each other. For who, I don't know."

For a moment, Lei just stood there, bewildered. What Nina revealed to him didn't make sense. Why would Bryan kill Steve? Obviously he wouldn't have done it without reason. Come to think of it...it didn't matter whether he had a motive or not. Bryan would kill anyone for the thrill of it. And of course, there was the fact that he was also with _her_, which made it even more baffling. Somehow, there had to be a reason and Lei was sure of it. He would just have to figure it out himself.

"Alright," he said, heading for the door "I'll be leaving now. Good luck on your trip."

"Be careful. Bryan's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve." she warned.

"I'll keep that in mind."

When he departed from the hotel, only then did he take notice of his grumbling stomach. He hadn't eaten anything since last night it seems. Before anything else, he decided to head over to the nearest coffee shop which was only a walking distance from where he had parked his car.

Lei didn't eat much, consuming only a medium-sized chicken salad drowned in sweetened iced tea. Food wasn't really his best interest and the shop's menu didn't offer much. Taking a pause from eating, he picked up an abandoned newspaper and opened it. Judging from the content of the tabloid, it seems Tokyo is suffering from repeated incidents of street brawls. Lei swore this was the tenth since the fourth tournament ended, which was a month ago. Everything's messed-up alright. All these incidents, including Steve Fox's death didn't quite connect to each other.

The Chinese exhaled, placing the rather disappointing newspaper on the table. He finished what was left of his salad and sipped the remaining drops of his drink. The clock had already struck noon and still he had yet to gather a reasonable amount of information. His best bet would be to find Bryan Fury and force him to spill. Problem was, he didn't know where he would be. Even if he finds him, unlikely that he can push the American to talk, in reference to what happened the other night. Bryan would only think of Lei as an insect he could easily step on. And that really pisses Lei off.

Upon reaching the small establishment, his cell phone rang. Lei unhooked the little noisemaker from his belt before answering it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Lei, listen. The Chief wanted me to tell you something really important."

Lei frowned at the sound of the familiar voice. "Why the hell are you calling me?"

"I was just going to give you some new info regarding Steve Fox!"

"Then get to the point."

Hayate made a huffing sound from the other line which was very evident. "Steve Fox's body reportedly disappeared from the morgue just this morning. NO one saw who did it. Apparently, the culprits wanted the body for some reason."

"Okay, okay, I'm on it."

"Hold on! Look, I've been trying to come up with words to say to you and I've figured it out..."

"Think it over again."

With that said, Lei pressed the 'end' button, putting a halt on their conversation. Hayate's all talk alright. But at least this time he was actually of good use to Lei. As of now, Lei's chance in finding clues would be at the morgue. He was on his way back to his car, passing by the mouth of a narrow, darkened alley, when he heard a faint cry. It sounded weak, but Lei could have sworn it was a cry of desperation. Curiously and cautiously did he make his way into the eerie pathway.

It was quiet again.

Lei had a panicky feeling inside him due to the sudden change of the environment. It didn't help when he eventually saw something when he reached the end of the alley. Three dark-clothed people stacked on top of each other. Dead.

The detective was alarmed, but before he could move another inch, he was vigorously pushed onto the ground, not far from the heap of corpses. It has happening all too fast for him, not knowing what hit him. Or who.

"Well, well, look who bumped into us."

Swiftly, Lei turned his head and saw none other than Bryan Fury and his partner in crime, Kunimitsu.

"I guess that one gunshot wasn't enough to keep him at the hospital." The masked kunoichi sneered.

Bryan began to approach the fallen detective. Lei, still in a state of shock, scrambled to his feet, trying to keep away from him.

"Maybe a few more should be enough to keep him at the _morgue_, like that British kid."

"You can try, Fury, but I won't let you so easily!" Lei snapped, finally finding it in him to show aggression.

"Show him how easy it is to snap him apart, Bryan." Kunimitsu cheered.

Lei switched into his fighting stance and so did Bryan. In his mind, Lei knew it was stupid to try and beat both Bryan and Kunimitsu. He can't even beat Bryan so obviously beating Kunimitsu was out of the question. So now, he was left with no choice but attempt to escape from here. Lei glanced at the masked kunoichi standing behind Bryan and he could tell, even with her mask on, that she was watching intently at his every move.

Adjusting his attention back to Bryan, the Chinese charged towards him. Although not his usual fashion (he was always on the defensive side), Bryan readied himself and blocked a couple of Lei's Razor Rush punches. In a blink of an eye, Lei switched into his Dragon Stance and slipped in a high and low kick. Bryan failed to block low and fell down, did a Tech Roll, before rising from crouching position with an uppercut that connected into his Fisherman Slam move. The impact caused Lei to cry out in pain, leaving a fissure on the cement. Both fighters have swapped positions, with Bryan's back facing the end of the alley.

Without thinking, Bryan advanced forwards in attempt to finish him off, not noting the way Lei was laying face down, his feet facing Bryan. No sooner did Bryan found himself falling once more when Lei did a Rave Spin from the ground. The instant Bryan stood up from the ground, this time he didn't let the American insert an offensive move. Lei grabbed him by the shoulders and did a Double-Foot Launch, causing Bryan to harshly recoil backwards and actually slammed into the brick wall behind him as Lei somersaulted backwards in the air.

The extremely alert Kunimitsu sensed Lei's true intentions. He was actually trying to somersault over the masked kunoichi so he could escape. Right away, she did a Lunge Jumpkick which interrupted Lei from doing so.

"You may be fond of fleeing from your opponents, but this time, you can't get out of here alive."

Kunimitsu noticed Bryan walking towards them seemingly unharmed from their fight. It was as if Lei's attacks were nothing but air. Lei, who was now sprawled face up on the pavement, was raised by the throat, a gun pressed against the right side of his head. Bryan looked up into Lei's eyes as the detective did the same, with pleading eyes.

"You wouldn't want to hurt me, would you, Bryan...?" Lei whispered in a breathy voice that only Bryan can hear.

Bryan narrowed his eyes. With such a long pause, Kunimitsu was quite suspicious all of a sudden.

"What are you waiting for? Pull the trigger and end this nonsense!"

Lei's eyes widened when he heard the soft creaking of the trigger. Was he really going to...?

Out of the blue, a huge cloud of smoke appeared, blinding all three of them as Bryan felt the gun jerked from his hand as he spontaneously released his grasp from Lei's throat. The detective gasped, sensing an arm around him as he found himself airborne once again, this time in a very swift motion. Kunimitsu threw a kunai in the air unbeknownst to Bryan, targeting the unidentified form that escaped over the buildings with Lei.

The kunai missed by a mile.

"Curses!" Kunimitsu growled. "I'll get you next time Yoshimitsu!!!"


	3. The Plot is Revealed, Yoshimitsu Arrives...

**A/N: _I can't believe I'm getting used to updating fanfics now! I just want to thank those who took the time to review my work. I'm not really bitter by the fact that I only receive a few reviews. I didn't even think ANYONE would read my fics in the first place. So every review I receive is very much worth my time. My fics aren't even that good anyways, compared to a lot of authors here. Writing isn't my best talents to get right to the point. I'm more of an artist than a writer but I decided to give writing a chance. Thank you once again!_**

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**Chapter 3: The Plot is Revealed, Yoshimitsu Arrives!**

The smoke eventually disappeared all together, leaving Bryan very lost in all this.

"What the hell was that for?!" The American demanded, referring to the kunai that he spotted in the air.

Kunimitsu glowered at him. "I was going to ask the same thing to you."

Bryan had a furrowed expression on his face. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You seemed reluctant when you had the chance to kill him."

Bryan fell silent.

"Is there something that me and Kazuya are not aware of?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Bryan stated coldly.

However, Kunimitsu remained unconvinced.

Disregarding the issue for now, Kunimitsu walked over towards the pile of dead people.

"Maybe I should clean up this mess before it causes a stir."

After lifting her mask to her forehead, she did a series of hand seals, murmuring a string of Japanese words. With the final seal in front of her, she took a huge breath before releasing a stream of red-hot fire from her lips. Remarkably, the fire did not harm the delicateness of her dainty lips.

From a safe distance, Bryan watched the fire consume the dead bodies, compressing them into nothing but blackened ashes. He still found Kunimitsu's ninjutsu very intriguing.

As he stared blankly into the fire, his mind was flooded with thoughts of Lei.

Then the fire disappeared into the ashes.

The buildings blurred as he was being moved from one place to another, almost at the speed of light. His hair had already untangled itself from the firm grip of his hair-tie, violently whipping about in his face. To make matters worse, Lei could feel the burning sensation in his stomach. He knew he was going to throw up soon if his carrier did not stop.

As if sensing Lei's distress, the unknown being put himself into a halt. That solid arm, the one thing that kept him in place, uncoiled itself from Lei's waist. The agitated detective managed to stand on his own feet upon being released. Lei looked up to his savior and realized that he wasn't even gazing at a human being. He was staring at an ersatz face...Well, that's what he thought. This individual was covered entirely with armor, except for the one spot on the side of his neck which seemed to be showing a glimpse of human skin. For the past six seconds, Lei stared and the figure in front of him gazed back. This person was familiar.

"Yoshimitsu?!" Lei exclaimed, finally able to identify this person.

Sure enough, it was the Manji leader himself. He felt quite relieved actually.

"Kibun wa dō desu ka?" Yoshimitsu spoke in his eerie tone of voice.

"Kibun ga yoku natta."

Yoshimitsu nodded. He began to explain what was going on to Lei.

"Watashi wa zannen—"

"Chotto matte kudasai!" Lei interrupted all of a sudden. "Eigo ga dekimasu ka?

"Hai, dekimasu."

"Can you speak it? My Japanese is not quite perfect."

"Mochiron."

After resolving the language difficulties, the Manji leader proceeded to speak.

"As I have said earlier, I'm sorry about interrupting your fight between those two. I felt that you needed my help at some point...so I took you away."

That's when Lei realized something. He looked around his surroundings, which was very unfamiliar. He was standing on the roof of a building in a foreign neighborhood. If his assumption was correct, both of them covered approximately a distance of 2 ½ kilometers in 5 minutes...

"I'm actually grateful you came. I would have been killed..."

"I assume that you are still confused about what's happening lately..."

Was Yoshimitsu reading his mind? Confusion was the one thing that Lei felt at this very moment. He had so many questions to ask yet he didn't know where to begin.

"Tell me why they killed Steve Fox."

"It all goes back to Kazuya's plot in dominating the world."

"Kazuya's behind all this?!" This was a shocking revelation to Lei.

"Of course, did you think he won the tournament for nothing?"

Of course not, Lei thought. It had seemed obvious now but the idea hadn't crossed Lei's mind before.

Yoshimitsu went on. "Steve Fox possessed a unique recessive gene that stimulates a human's cells, allowing them to regenerate faster. For example, if a person with that gene spliced into his own and got shot, his wound would heal 20 times faster than a normal human being. This explains why Steve Fox always managed to come out alive from repeated assassination attempts. In fact, he regenerates so fast that his killers had to poison him and break his neck to make sure he stayed dead." Lei winced slightly at this.

"So basically, Kazuya was after it? But how did Steve Fox acquire the gene in the first place?"

"Yes. My theory is that the gene was spliced into Steve Fox when he was conceived, through his arm I think."

Lei paused for a moment between questions.

"Why didn't they take Steve's body right after they killed him? Why did the y have to wait a few days?" Lei inquired critically.

The strange ninja walked closer to the ledge, his back facing Lei.

"Kazuya was required to kill Steve Fox as he agreed to do so in exchange for money. Two days later was he informed about the recessive gene through Dr. Abel, which is called the Regen. Kazuya desired power over money, which changed everything around. He destroyed the mafia organization, fearing that they might steal the Regen from him. That's when he hired Bryan and my former apprentice, Kunimitsu. I know Kunimitsu's planning to overthrow Kazuya but I don't know Bryan's motive for siding with him."

"That makes perfect sense..." Lei remarked, sarcastically.

"But," Yoshimitsu stated, facing Lei yet again "I need your help, Lei."

The Chinese police man half-lowered his eyes, a sure sign of reluctance.

"I couldn't even beat Bryan or Kunimitsu. On top of that, I lost in the tournament. What good am I?"

"A lot. You're the only one who can expose Kazuya's wrongdoings; the only one who can save this world from being drowned into complete darkness. That is why you must help me."

Judging the way Yoshimitsu was grasping both of his shoulders, Lei knew he was determined about this, especially when Yoshimitsu told him he was "the only one". He was definitely in a tensing position right now.

"What's in it for me?" Lei queried in a stern tone of voice.

After letting loose the man in front of him. Yoshimitsu withdrew himself from Lei by a yard.

"Anything your heart desires."

Yoshimitsu's voice was very low, solemn-like. Lei's eyes became opaque and empty as if he was lost in a state of phantasmagoria. He wanted to but couldn't refuse his offer somehow, no matter how unrealistic it may seem. Could this outlandish being really satisfy what his heart truly desired? On the other hand, if you were desperate, one would believe anything. Just like a mirage: unreal and merely imagined.

Despite all of this, Lei nodded slightly, shifting his view to the side.

"Fine."

"Good. Now listen carefully: this Friday, Kazuya will host a banquet at the Mishima Zaibatsu, in honor of his victory at the tournament. I want you to attend the celebration."

"What about the people back at the station?"

"There's nothing wrong if they decide to attend. Just don't give away your purpose."

The ninja edged closer off the ledge, in the process of leaving. Abruptly, Lei inquired one last question.

"What is my purpose?"

Yoshimitsu turned his head a little.

"I will tell you another day. Right now, my party needs me. Ja kondo ne."

With one last goodbye, Yoshimitsu leaped over to the next building and the next, until he was out of sight.

Lei stood still, the morning wind sweeping across his face, eyes staring blankly into space. He knew what he wanted from this, because he couldn't stop thinking about him...

**_A/N: Okay. There were a lot of Japanese phrases mentioned here in which I know by memory and some I researched myself. I know some of you have no clue so here goes the translations:_**

_Ninjutsu: Ninja arts/techniques. There are many kinds of ninjutsu so I won't be specific._

Kibun wa dō desu ka_ Kibun wa d__ō desu ka?: How are you feeling?_

_Kibun ga yoku natta: I feel much better._

_Watashi wa zannen-: I'm sorry -_

_Chotto matte kudasai: Please wait a minute!_

_Eigo ga dekimasu ka?: Do you speak English?_

_Hai, dekimasu: Yes, I do._

_Mochiron: Sure._

_Ja__ kondo ne: See you next time._

**_Expect to see more. I felt that it was necessary to put some Japanese words in the story so the readers will be reminded that the story does takes place in Japan, not because I wanted the story be 'hype'. I do not speak Japanese but I do wish I could._**


	4. The Past Still Lingers

**Angel in the Dark Sky**

**A/N: Long chapter ahead...You have been warned.**

**Chapter 4: The Past Still Lingers**

_The party was livelier than anything else that night. The constant chattering of the guests could only be heard faintly beneath the air of mellow music. Everyone seemed very enthusiastic, especially the Russian diplomat who just recently reunited with his kidnapped daughter._

_All, except one._

_Among the empty tables and seats, a lone Chinese detective idly sat, his head leaning against the palm of his hand. For him, it was a dreadful night. Everything about the party made him yawn: the people who were dancing, the music and the bright lights. It was probably because he was stressed-out that night and wanted nothing but to go home and sleep the rest of the night off. The only reason why he attended in the first place was because he didn't want to disappoint his boss and his colleagues. Not to mention the Russian ambassador who hosted the formal party in his beachside manor to show his appreciation to the detectives who helped solved the case._

_But as Lei continued to snub the party, he realized his presence was not needed for Kyosuke was having a good time with two other detectives and Mayla flirting with another. Lei absently played with his drink in his free hand as he took notice of a drunk officer staggering to where he was sitting. As the other man came nearer, he flashed Lei a lopsided grin._

_"Wanna dance, sexy?" the man slurred._

_This drunken fool of a detective must have mistaken Lei for a woman. Without moving from his chair, Lei looked up at the man before him with a disinterested look in his eyes._

_"Leave me alone or I'll be dancing on your head, idiot."_

_The intoxicated man had a weird look on his face before finally walking unsteadily towards a group of women._

_Just as Lei thought he was alone again, his boss appeared from behind._

_"Why are you just sitting here, Lei? You should be enjoying yourself just like everyone else!"_

_"I don't feel like doing anything...I'm tired."_

_"At least socialize with the other guests. I'm sure they will love your company!"_

_Lei stood from his seat having been sitting for a whole 2 hours. His body ached from being glued on a chair for a long time. He surprised his boss when he started walking away from him._

_"Where are you going?" his boss asked._

_"Outside to get some fresh air."_

_The worn-out detective walked himself out the manor, past the veranda, until he came across an open courtyard. He scanned the whole area along the sitting benches from the fountain below up and stopped when he spotted a dark figure seated on one of the benches. Lei didn't really expect anyone to be out here, in this bare quad. Although the moon was full and bright, he still couldn't make out the identity of this person. Lei could make out a trail of smoke escaping from its mouth…_

_"That's bad for you, you know that?" Lei stated, nearing the silhouette that seemed to be facing him this time. A pair of sapphire-blue eyes immediately caught Lei's attention._

_"The hell are you?" Lei was replied with a low-voiced answer._

_"I didn't ask for your name so why ask for mine?"_

_"I didn't ask for your name."_

_The Chinese eased himself down beside the melancholic man who looked the other way. His face appeared clearer and Lei found himself gazing at those lovely eyes again...The man took a large puff from the cigarette held between his two fingers before facing Wulong once more._

_"Stop staring at me." _

_Without feeling embarrassed or apologetic, Lei's gaze refused to break contact._

_"Your eyes are like liquid moonlight..." he honestly stated._

_"I didn't know you were a poet." _

_"I'm not. I just say whatever's on my mind."_

_"Why are you here?" the silver-haired man asked straight-forwardly._

_Finally, in what seemed like years, Lei broke his stare from the other man; instead looking down where the fountain was._

_"I wanted to have some peace and quiet form all the noise inside. The only reason why I came was because I didn't want to disappoint everyone else."_

_"That's the most fucked-up reason I've ever heard."_

_"I don't see anything wrong about that!" Lei exclaimed defensively. "What about you? You don't seem interested with the party either. What's your excuse, huh?"_

_Lei could hear the other man laugh under his breath._

_"I came to check out the female detectives. Then I got bored and went outside." _

_Lei couldn't refrain from laughing to himself slightly. It was rather baffling that he was already enjoying talking with someone he just met. He was about to say something when the man beside him spoke again._

_"I don't remember seeing you before. What's your name?"_

_"Detective Lei Wulong. You are...?"_

_"Bryan Fury. INTERPOL"_

_"Don't you mean 'Detective Bryan Fury'?"_

_"Who cares?"_

_Suddenly, Bryan stood from where he was sitting, taking another puff from his cigarette. Afterwards, he dropped still-lighted cigarette before crushing it with one foot. Slowly, he began moving away from Lei, expecting him to follow._

_"Coming?" Bryan finally called out when he was a few yards from the other detective._

_Lei took it as an official invitation and was quick to catch up with the other man who made his way out the courtyard._

_"Where are we going?" Wulong asked since he was a bit uneasy all of a sudden._

_"The beach."_

_That would have been obvious for Lei could hear the sighing of the water moving back and forth along the shore._

_Feeling rather stupid, Lei dared to ask him an idiotic question just for the heck of it._

_"Don't you think it's rather impractical to swim this late at night?"_

_"What made you think that?" Bryan sarcastically replied as he began removing his black leather shoes; then his socks. "I didn't think you'd be that slow."_

_"A walk along the beach...sounds like something I read from a book."_

_Bryan noticed that Lei hadn't removed his shoes yet._

_"Must I always ask you to come with me? Frankly, you're starting to get on my nerves." He stated, frustration progressively taking over him._

_"I'll walk with you but I won't go near the water."_

_"Scared?"_

_"Who wouldn't be? I mean—it's dark, you don't know what's in the water. What if something bites my foot while I walk along?"_

_In disbelief, Bryan shook his head._

_"I can't believe you're that scared. You've been through a lot as a detective and you're scared of the water. There's nothing in the water that'll hurt you."_

_"How do you know that?"_

_Bryan sighed hopelessly. "Fine. Suit yourself."_

_As Fury strolled farther away down the beach, Lei could feel his heart beating faster when he realized that he was all alone now. A couple of minutes later, Bryan was out of sight and it was quiet again, save for the distant rumbling of the waves and creatures. From where he was situated, the surroundings was close to pitch black, if it wasn't for the bright moonlight creeping from the area near the beach. He felt like an idiot standing by himself in the dark, only because he was afraid of something so trivial._

_All by himself, Bryan walked along the shoreline where the water barely made contact with the dry sand. Moments later, Lei came running towards him from the distance, barefooted._

_"I knew you'd come eventually."_

_"I was just checking if you were alright." Lei simply quipped coolly._

_Rather than arguing over nonsense again, Bryan pulled him by the arm, causing Lei's feet to come in contact with the water. Lei gasped in startle, not because of fright but because of the sudden coolness enclosing his feet._

_"That wasn't so bad now was it?"_

_Instead of answering, Lei swiftly kicked sand to the stunned man's face. During the short distraction, the playful detective released himself from Bryan and sprinted across the beach._

_"Try and catch me!"_

_Bryan cursed out loud in anger but immediately figured out what Lei was trying to carry out. Lei wasn't striving to infuriate him in any way, instead expressing his way of accepting him. He gave Lei a good 2 minute head start before charging forward to catch up on him. Lei was fast, but Bryan was even faster. The taller man covered twice as much distance as Lei did for a shorter period of time. If it wasn't for the sand beneath his feet, Bryan most likely would have seized Lei in no time._

_Three minutes had gone by and both individuals showed no sign of stopping, not even Lei. The Chinese glanced back over his shoulder and saw that Bryan was only a few meters away, gradually decreasing the distance between them. Determined to win this 'race', Lei accelerated and managed to expand the gap in no time. However, as Lei's speed increased, he overlooked an obstacle embedded underneath the sand (possibly a rock) and tripped, harshly crashing onto the dry sand face down and instantly putting a bitter end to their 'race'. Nearby, Bryan broke into hysterical laughter, obviously adding insult to Lei's misfortune._

_In contrast to Bryan's automatic reaction, Lei was fuming, his face turning red with humiliation and resentment. His silky-soft hair that was tied back into a ponytail was now disheveled, covering the right side of his face with its long tendrils._

"_Shut up!" Lei spat, slowly lifting himself from the harsh beach sand. He didn't need a mirror to see that he was soiled with grains of sand._

_The American at last ceased from his apparent madness._

"_What's wrong? Can't take a joke?"_

"_I'd rather _not_ be the joke."_

_Out of pity, Bryan reached down and grasped Lei by the wrist, his other arm wrapped around his back. Lei allowed himself to be handled briefly as Bryan slowly raised him back to his feet, groaning silently._

_At that very moment, Bryan caught a glimpse of what he thought was a 'different' side of Lei. Quite different from the one who kept asking him pointless questions and making exaggerated complaints. The taller man marveled at the sight before him. The way Lei's hazel-brown eyes looked up at him inoffensively, his hair provocatively concealing the side of his face in fine strands, the way the moonlight emphasized the delicate features of his face..._

_In Bryan's eyes, he saw a deity before him._

_A goddess._

_On the contrary, Lei was puzzled why Bryan was critically staring down at him for no reason. Watching as Bryan reached his pale hand to touch the side of his face, Lei couldn't prevent himself from feeling tensed all of a sudden. In fact, the tension manifested itself into his physical appearance. Lei's face grew hot and flushed. Still, he did not flinch nor yell at the American, instead permitting him to progress even more._

_At this point, Bryan caressed the hot flesh beneath his touch, at the same time amused by Lei's changed look. Lei swore he could feel his legs shaking and oh how he wished he was lying on the sand as was before. Inch by inch, the gap between the two closed in until they became one. Lei felt Bryan's hot breath tickle his nose. His widened eyes looked up into the taller man, anxiety abruptly turning into fear. He honestly didn't expect this to happen._

_Bryan leaned further down until his lips rested beside Lei's quivering ones. The Chinese shut his eyes and his irregular breathing escalated._

_"You're so beautiful..."_

_Right after those words were whispered against Lei's lips, Bryan kissed him. Lei's body stiffened. He was unable to resist since Fury had either of his hands on each side of his face. With no other option available, Lei's own hand clutched on either shoulders of Bryan, hesitantly returning the kiss. Bryan more than welcomed the gesture and the kiss intensified. The fear eventually subsided, replacing it with an even stronger emotion that Lei could not explain. This unknown feeling took over him completely as he found himself moaning softly._

_Instantaneously, nothing else seemed imperative. The only thing that mattered was this very moment. _Their moment_. Furthermore, Lei thought he was imagining to himself when he heard his name being called from afar._

_"Lei!"_

_Lei's eyes shot wide open._

_The detective heard it for a second time, this time more audible. He recognized the voice as Kyosuke's. Though neither of them wanted to part from each other's lips, Lei hurriedly broke away; avoiding eye contact with Bryan. He failed to witness how disappointed the other detective looked. Right when he turned his back in the process of leaving, Bryan caught his arm and pulled him back into an open-mouthed kiss once again._

_ "When can I see you again?" Bryan asked in a hushed voice, sounding very concerned to say the least._

_"I...I don't know." Lei replied doubtfully. He wanted to see him again soon himself. "I have to go now."_

_With that, the long-haired Chinese freed himself from Bryan and rushed his way back to where he left his shoes. Hastily, he wore his socks back on before stepping into his shoes. As he did so, the thought of that silver-haired stranger clouded his mind. He knew this was one night he wouldn't forget._


	5. It's All Over But the Crying

**Angel in the Dark Sky**

**A/N: Three words: very, very LONG. However, this will be the last of the series of flashbacks and the next chapter will follow up what happened after chapter 3. Forgive my grammar and spelling mistakes but writing is not my best features but I would appreciate corrections. :D**

**Chapter 5: It's All Over but the Crying**

_"I'm so excited!"_

_That was possibly the umpteenth time the secretary gushed the same words that morning. Unfortunately, Lei had to endure the soon-to-be bride's excitement. He wanted to tell her to shut up but he didn't want to be rude._

_"Can you believe I'm getting married tomorrow?"_

_Lei, who was leaning his face against the cool surface of his furnished desk, gave her a jaded reply._

_"No, really?"_

_The ditzy secretary put her hands on her hips. "Aww c'mon, Lei. Just because I'm getting married doesn't mean you have to be jealous."_

_"What are you talking about? I haven't even thought about getting hitched just yet. Right now, I'm enjoying life to the fullest."_

_She shook her head, apparently disappointed. "I should have known you're one of those guys who avoid long-term commitments."_

_She pushed the metal drawer back into the filing cabinet, hard. Lei could easily tell she was bothered by what he had said. With a folder clutched in one hand, she promptly left the office, shutting the door behind her._

_"Thank god she's gone!"_

_The detective sighed in relief, raising himself up from the table and leaned back into his cosy chair. It was a sunny Saturday morning. For some reason, he loved bright days especially in the summer. He had nothing to do momentarily. It was one of those days when he had absolutely done everything. All he had to do was to wait for his boss to give him something to work on._

_Just as Lei was about to close his eyes briefly, he heard a sudden booming voice from outside his office._

_"Get out of my way, bitch!"_

_A split-second after, the door opened. Lei smiled sweetly at the person who stepped in._

_"I had a feeling that was you." Lei said._

_"The staff you have here sucks."_

_"Bryan, don't say that. Just because of one overly-excited secretary doesn't mean everyone else sucks."_

_"No, it's everyone in this building except you."_

_Lei watched with utmost enthusiasm as the taller man approached him. Bryan leaned down and kissed him deeply. That was the one thing that always made his day..._

_Lei couldn't believe his luck when his boss assigned Bryan, who was a foreign INTERPOL officer, to be his permanent partner. It was only two months since they first met. After that, their only means of communicating with each other were through the telephone, though they rarely did anyway due to work and the occasional timidity of doing so. But now, they've never been closer than ever; Lei couldn't be any more contented._

_As the days went by, Lei got to know Bryan even more. He discovered that Bryan wasn't the type who liked to follow orders from his superiors. Moreover, the American never got along with his previous partners as well. Maybe that explains why Lei's boss paired him up with him. Not only that, most of the other detectives and staff members disliked Bryan's crude arrogance and insensitivity towards them. Some of them even suspect Bryan of being a surreptitious criminal of some kind. It was clear to the others that Detective Lei Wulong was the only one whom Bryan Fury respected most, if not, the only one other than some minimal respect to Lei's boss. It was almost an oddity but not too bothering to be questioned about. Perhaps it was because of Lei's charisma that even the cruellest of men found it nearly impossible to get mad at him._

_Ironically, no one stumbled upon Lei and Bryan's intimate relationship but the two themselves. Seemingly none of them speculate of such an affair despite how obvious it seemed whenever they spent close to 4 hours alone in Lei's office everyday._

_For Lei, his life finally became complete since Bryan moved into his department. As he continued to learn more about him, Lei found out something disturbing about Fury. Something darker about him..._

_Bryan was a well-known drug trafficker in the underground world. Who would have thought? Actually, that would be everyone except Lei._

_Somehow, the naïve Wulong felt betrayed by this. He had lay open his entire life and business to him, only to be left hurt and deceived in the end. Subsequently, things began to change dramatically. Although Lei knew it was wrong, he had covered-up all the mess that Bryan had caused including the shoot-out at downtown, which cost several lives to be taken away. _

_Every single lie he made, everyone believed. Every single day he felt like he was broken apart._

_Lei could only watch his seamless life going downhill. It wasn't until that day that Lei realized he had hit rock-bottom. _

_It started off as a usual day for Lei. However, he had completed all off the tasks assigned to him in advance. So, that afternoon, he spent the rest of his working hours in his partner's office in secrecy. Watching Bryan count his day's profit from his side 'business', a lot of things had bothered him, namely Bryan's criminal activities. It wasn't a big surprise that keeping a close eye on a dirty police officer was difficult. Lei knew he had to put an end to this._

"_Isn't this great, Wulong? We're earning double the amount from selling drugs than from police work, only half the effort!" Bryan snickered._

_Lei couldn't help but feel disgusted by the American's words. Thus, he remained quiet, gazing at the pack of one-hundred US-dollar bills in his partner's hands._

"_At this rate, we'll be rich in no time. Then, we would quit our pathetic jobs and go someplace far from here."_

_How things have changed, Lei thought._

_Fury looked at him, concerned._

"_Something bothering you?"_

"_I'm worried about this, Bryan. What if the others find out?"_

"_As long as you help me, we'll be okay."_

_Finally, the detective could no longer repress his guilty conscience as he promptly stood upright._

"_I don't want to be a part of this anymore!"_

_Fury's piercing blue eyes stared up at Lei. He didn't like what he was hearing from his partner. He stood from his seat, towering over Wulong, his eyes remained fixed on the shorter man._

"_I've worked hard to make this happen and I'm not going to let you ruin this for me. Can't you see? I'm doing this for the both of us!"_

"_Until now, I've yet to see the benefit of helping you sell illegal drugs."_

"_Money, Lei!" Bryan exclaimed as he held the packed money in front of Wulong to see, emphasizing what he had meant. _"_Easy money! Money that we've never earned from our shitty jobs!"_

_Lei's eyes in turn started to glaze. "Is that what's really important to you, Bryan? Do you even care about how I feel?"_

_Out of unrelenting anger, Fury whipped his hand across the table, causing all the contents on the tabletop to fly everywhere. Lei trembled in fear. He personally had never experienced Bryan's rage before. _

"_It's all about you, isn't it? You always act as if you're the main character in a tragedy!"_

"_Bryan, that's not true!" Lei cried out in protest._

"_I thought you were someone I could count on but obviously I though wrong. You're just like everyone else!"_

_After his last statement, Fury stormed his way out the door, not bothering to close it. Now Lei was left with the after-effects of their conflict. The floor was littered with bills mostly, some papers and various office supplies. Xia Lian, who happened to witness an angry Fury leave the station, went straight to Lei's office in inquisitiveness._

_As soon as he came across Lei's private working space, he was surprised to see the Chinese standing over the mess on the floor, not knowing where it had come from in the first place. Wulong glanced over his shoulder, giving Lian a monotonous look._

_Lian sought for the right words to say._

"_I just saw Bryan leave and he looked...mad."_

_Lei did not retort to his co-worker's statement, instead, he knelt down and began plucking the items from the floor. As Xia Lian walked closer to where Lei was, he realized what the small pieces of paper on the floor really were._

"_Lei are those—"_

"_Make it whatever you think it is." Lei sighed, not in exasperation, but more like in resignation. He comprehended completely that he was close to spilling forth all of the truth that he had been hiding from his force for a long time. What else was there left to do?_

_Confusion and fear crept over Lian. Everything seemed to piece together: the way Bryan had left, the US bills that was all around the table...There was only one thing left to do._

"_Lei, you better start explaining."_

_When Lei didn't appear to listen to what he had demanded, Xia roughly pulled him up by the arm until Lei was on his feet, causing Wulong to moan in pain._

"_Let me go!" Lei demanded as he attempted to withdraw his arm._

_In return, Xia jerked the other's straining arm even more._

"_Not until you tell me what this is all about. Where did all these money come from? Fury's behind all this, isn't he!"_

_Don't answer. Don't tell him. _

"_Lei, I swear, if you don't tell me this instance--"_

No.

"_LEI!"_

"_YES!" Lei bursted into tears as the suppressed, bitter truth slipped from his quivering lips._

_Xia stared at the weeping man, horrified._

"_You had something to do with it, too, didn't you!" his voice raised even higher than before._

"_I had no choice!" Lei shot back, pleadingly._

_Wulong knew his last reply was a desperate attempt to save himself from being humiliated, blamed, and stripped of his title._

"_I'm taking you to the Chief Inspector's office." With that, Xia Lian dragged Lei out the door and into the hallway. When they passed by several staff members and officers, Lei's embarrassment became immeasurable. He felt like a criminal being dragged into his cell. The onlookers' curiosities were fed even more as the two detectives headed for the Chief's office._

"_Please, Lian...don't do this...don't do this to me..." Lei continued to plead._

_Without bothering to at least knock on the door, Xia invaded into his boss' private space, bringing Lei with him as well. Sure enough, Chief Chang was very surprised at the sudden intrusion._

"_What in the world—"_

_Promptly, Xia threw Lei infront of him, causing Lei to hit the floor, hard. _

"_This man is a traitor!" Xia stated accusingly, pointing his finger at Lei as if he was nothing but trash. "Him and Fury have been up to something!"_

_The bewildered Chief Inspector was shocked by this accusation._

"_How could you make such a statement! Do you even have any proof!"_

_Xia Lian scoffed, knowing all too well that what he saw in Lei's office was more than enough to pass off as 'proof'. _

"_If you come take a look at his office, I'm sure you'd believe me."_

"_No! Please, just let me explain—"_

"_Shut your fucking mouth, you worthless traitor!"_

"_Xia Lian!"_

_The frustrated detective instantly stopped himself from losing his temper. His teeth clenched and his narrowed, opalescent eyes were locked on Lei. Chief Chang exhaled, trying his best to comprehend the situation in hand._

"_Before I see your 'evidence', I want to hear the story from Lei's side as well. Lei?" he said calmly, almost soothingly as he faced the detective that lay on the carpet. The Chinese avoided his gaze in shame and said nothing._

"_Are you going to tell me, Wulong?" his boss persisted, still with the same tone of voice._

"_I-it's true..."_

_It was clear that Lei's words had disappointed Chief Chang more than he had thought. Wulong could never bring himself so much as to lie to his boss whom he had highly respected. _

_Without further ado, the Chief Inspector agreed to Xia Lian's request and made his way out, with Xia following behind him right after giving Lei a final look of disgust._

_Minutes passed as Lei now sat on a nearby chair, contemplating, awaiting his boss' reaction. No sooner did he hear Chief Chang's angry voice upon seeing what Xia had been talking about._

"_I want Fury in my office-right-now!" was what Lei could perceive from the blur of words outside Chief Chang's office._

_Lei Wulong raised his head slightly, seeing the Chief Inspector enter the office, this time without Lian, then shut the door close. He could see the creases of tension that were made visible on the older man's face._

"_I'm disappointed in you Lei. Of all the detectives in this building..." the Chief sighed, not looking at Lei; his chest, heavy. "I really thought you were one of the best rookies that walked into my division."_

"_If there was a way I could repay for what I have done."_

_The older man commiserated the pitiful sight of Lei. Clearly his words were spoken with utmost sincerity, but he knew he had to approach the situation professionally. Whatever the truth was behind this disorder it must not be compromised. No matter how much he wanted to vindicate the Chinese from the humiliation he was sure to confront soon. _

_The door swung open._

"_Chief! The officers went ahead and started shooting at Fury! I-I'm afraid he's dead..."_

_Lei turned to face the informant with wide, horrified eyes._

"_Goddamnit! I didn't release an order to start shooting! What the hell are they doing!" Chief Chan's voice roared, aggravated even more._

"_We had no choice, they said. There was no other way to bring him down."_

"_Six officers can't bring down one man!"_

"_H-He was too strong..."_

_The two men ceased their conversation, hearing the suppressed sobs in the background. Not a single word was spoken for a long while._

_

* * *

__Although his boss had forgiven him conditionally, the damage had already been done. Not everyone had forgiven Lei; most of his fellow detectives had lost their respect for him. The dishonour was unbearable to the point where his self-esteem had sunk. Above all, he had no one else to blame but himself. If only he had the courage to disallow himself from being a part of it. Love, if that was what it was, made a fool out of him, just as Fury did._

_Sometimes he felt as if Bryan had turned out to be the lucky one. Death had become the ultimate solace from the pain and Lei yearned for it..._


	6. Infiltrate the Zaibatsu

**A/N: After a long process of editing, I finally finished chapter 6. This chapter was actually very long at first so I split it into two parts, the second one I labeled as chapter 7 (in progress). **

**I thought about replying to every one of you who reviewed but I didn't so...thank you to all the reviewers! **

**Now I have to go buy presents for my friends. Read on!**

**Chapter 6: Infiltrate the Zaibatsu**

The sun had risen 4 hours ago yet not one of its rays could penetrate through the thick, gloomy clouds. The sky was blank; colorless. Lei was lying on his side facing the clear windows of his bedroom. From his understanding, it won't be a sunny day after all. He had remained on his bed for the past 15 minutes since he had awakened, contemplating. He pondered about what he had dreamed that night. It was very familiar and it had the same effect on him just as it did before. But one thing bothered him.

It had been a long time since he had the same dream--many years, to be exact. Lei wondered what it could mean, at the same time feeling sad as he did so. The demons of his past had come to haunt him; his memories of Bryan Fury made him depressed. Why now? And to think he had gotten over it.

Hastily, Lei got up from bed and went straight to the bathroom. His face was burning hot for some reason. Immediately, he turned on the 'cold' faucet and splashed the cool water on his face. He then caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror before him. He touched his face consciously; the skin remained just as youthful as they were years ago. It must have been a curse, he thought, watching everyone else around him age while he on the other hand remained imprisoned in a never-changing body.

As much as he had wanted a different past—and to be—with Bryan, there was no turning back now. Perhaps it was time to set all of those aside—for now. All this time he wanted Bryan to forgive him, for whatever he had done wrong to him. But Bryan had become so distant and so cold that perhaps his wish would remain only a wish.

* * *

Loud footsteps could be heard within the dimly-lit corridors, echoing. A sea of red was seen in a split-second when she trotted down the narrow pathway. Her Eden-green eyes glimmered in the darkness, which was made visible without the mask. Her creamy-white skin seemed to glow ever so slightly. A few more steps and she was face-to-face with the door that separated her and Kazuya Mishima.

The CEO of the Mishima Zaibatsu was sitting neatly on his leather chair, typing on his laptop. Kunimitsu barged in without knocking while Kazuya chose to ignore her.

"Kazuya, there's something important that I need to discuss with you." Kunimitsu said in a serious tone of voice.

"Tell me what it is and I will decide whether it is important." He simply responded as he was typing on.

The former Manji ninja bravely stepped forward until she made contact with the hardwood desktop.

"It's about _Mr. Fury_."

"If that is the reason why you rudely interrupted me, then I will discuss this with you some other time. You may leave."

As Kazuya's hands reached for the pile of folders to his right, Kunimitsu suddenly pushed her hands against the laptop's monitor screen, instantly closing it shut. It was a good thing Kazuya removed his fingers from the keyboard or they would have been smashed, literally. Still leaning on the closed laptop, Kunimitsu narrowed her eyes, focusing them onto Kazuya's, making apparent that she meant business.

"Bryan has been acting suspiciously lately. In the future, he may be the one who will backstab us in the end. I don't trust him and neither should you!"

"You are in no position to tell me what to do. As of now, Bryan has been very obedient and I have never had any problems with him. It seems to be you whom I have difficulty most."

Kunimitsu couldn't help but let out a sigh of frustration.

"You don't even know there's a traitor in you group of bodyguards and you expect them to protect you at the party!"

"I'm curious. If there is a traitor, how do I know it's not you?" Kazuya asked thoughtfully, raising a brow.

Kunimitsu remained agitated. Kazuya remained tranquil. She understood that she had to keep cool so she could gain somewhat the upper-hand in this argument. Or at least convince him.

"You like to play with words. But we'll see who will be played like a fool eventually."

She smirked before departing through the open door, before slamming it shut afterwards. Walking away from the office, Kunimitsu kept that same smirk on her face. She found her conversation with Kazuya very humorous for the sole fact that he acted as if he knew everything when he didn't, especially when he refused to believe Bryan was plotting something behind his back. Sure, she's capable of eliminating Kazuya and Bryan altogether. The only thing that prevented her from doing so was her fondness of complicating things and at the same time playing around with people. Patiently, she would wait for the prime opportunity to strike back and finally take away Kazuya's power over Mishima Zaibatsu. Eliminating his Tekkenshu and replacing them with bloodthirsty ninja...Yes, that was her dream.

One day, that dream will be fulfilled.

* * *

As expected, the weather had become even more wretched. The wind and rain bombarded the streets and the roof where Lei stood. The stormy clouds prematurely turned day into night. Lei tugged on his hood to protect himself from the cruelty of the weather. Just as he had thought things would turn out for the better, he was having doubts. If only Yoshimitsu would show up sooner, then maybe these negative thoughts would vanish.

A sudden gust of wind swept past him, sending chills along his body. Wulong heard the noise of incoming footsteps from behind. He turned to find the unfathomable Yoshimitsu, seemingly from out of nowhere. Two other masked accomplices trailed behind him. Judging from their appearances, it was safe to assume that they were human.

"So you came after all."

"I never back out on my word." Lei said, bursting with honor as he did so.

These mysterious figures fearlessly stood under the rain with no means of protection, letting the rain reflect from the surface of their clothing. Lei took this as a sign of great power.

"Such righteousness indeed." The Manji leader nodded, his statement sounding more like praise. "Come, let's go inside the building. We don't want you to get soaked out here."

Yoshimitsu ushered them inside the building, which turned out to be nothing but an empty shack. A single light bulb emitted the only light source in the room. The group sat on the floor, under the dim light, forming a circle around the roll of paper that Yoshimitsu laid out. It appeared to be a floor map of a building.

"I'm going to get straight to the point. Our mission is to get the gene stored in their lab in the Zaibatsu. And, we decided that you shouldn't attend the party after all. Instead, we want you to go inside the Zaibatsu in a _different_ manner."

"_Okay..._" Lei said, uncertain if he even understood what was said to him. "So you want me to go undercover?"

"Yes."

"Impossible." Lei scoffed. "You can't imagine how tight the security is."

"Actually, we researched on their security mechanism for some time now. It's not as complicated as you think. It's very possible, as long as you are well-equipped."

"Which I'm not." Lei said as he scanned the map laid out in front of him.

One of the masked figures handed Yoshimitsu a black box, which he then passed on to Lei. The detective gave the ninja a quizzical look before opening the container.

Yoshimitsu smiled beneath his mask.

"You should have everything you need in there."

Inside was a lock pick, a PB 6P9 pistol equipped with a silencer, a gun holster, and a small container that looks plausibly that of a pair of...contact lenses.

Lei stared at it. "My eyes are quite alright. I'm not _that_ old."

This made Yoshimitsu and even the other two ninja chuckle.

"They're not contact lenses, Lei. They're a specially-enhanced type of night vision lenses. It automatically enables night vision in darker places and disables in lighter places. Dr. Boskonovitch considered them one of his best creations."

"Wow." Lei muttered in amazement, for lack of words.

The two unknown ninjas engaged in a private conversation.

"What about his clothing?"

"A shinobi shozoku, perhaps?"

Lei could barely hear their conversation except for the words 'shinobi shozoku'.

"Perhaps, but that will not be necessary. He can't wear one anyway because he's not one of us." Yoshimitsu said, assessing Lei's all-black outfit. "What a coincidence."

Lei merely shrugged. "I picked it out randomly."

"I can tell you're not in a very 'happy' mood right now." The Manji leader remarked. "What time is it, Lei?"

"Uh...quarter to five?" Lei replied, checking his watch as he did so. He still held the box in his hands.

"Good. You should have plenty of time to make up an excuse to your boss for not going to the party tonight." Yoshimitsu said, hearing a slight groan from Lei. "The mission will start at eight tonight. By then the guests should be settled in. We'll rendezvous by the rear exit—look in your map, Lei—at seven-twenty. That way I'll have plenty of time to explain the procedures to you."

Lei raised a hand in question. "Am I...going to do alright?"

"You got your equipment and—you do have wits, don't you?"

Lei rolled his eyes in reply.

"Then you're set."

* * *

Just as planned, the four met near the rear exit of the building where the shadows thrived. Lei, fully equipped, wondered why Yoshimitsu wanted him to do the 'major' part of the operation and not one of his accomplices.

"Kiyoshi will go and find the control panel of the building. Yasuo and I will make our way to the roof and make sure it's clear enough for the helicopter to come get us after. Just keep your headset on so I can guide you." Yoshimitsu assured.

"Why not come with me?"

"You ask far too many questions! Keep calm and you'll do fine as long as you keep in mind my instructions."

Yoshimitsu then sauntered across the ground, which was left damp after the storm passed by, to the side of the building. There was a ventilation shaft just a knee below him in which the cover was slightly loose. He took advantage of this and pulled it off slowly, exposing an opening big enough for Lei to fit through. Without another second thought, Wulong bent over and crept into the narrow shaft.

"Lei," Yoshimitsu whispered "be very careful."

Regarding his accomplice's advice, he crawled his way inside the narrow passage. As he went deeper, he noticed he was beginning to see his surroundings in green. The night vision had enabled itself so it must have been quite dark by now.

A crackling noise emitted from Lei's headset broke the silence.

"_Can you hear me?"_ He recognized it as Yoshimitsu's eerie voice.

"Loud and clear." He replied.

_"Good. Are you at the second intersection?"_

"Not yet."

Lei then resumed going straight. There seemed to be no end to this narrow passage. He finally came across the first intersection. There were ventilation fans on both sides so there wasn't much interest there. Lei continued on. When he reached the second intersection, he heard the familiar noise of party nearby. He followed the sound of chattering and music to the right until he spotted light in the distance. Lei crept a bit faster towards it and realized it was another ventilation cover below him; only this one's bolted really tight. The opening had a grilling on it, enough for Lei to take a good look inside the party hall where the banquet was being held. The honored guests were dressed in their finest attires, drank the finest wines and ate the finest hors d'oeuvres.

He didn't receive any message from Yoshimitsu at the time being so he stayed there a while longer.

Lei skimmed through the crowd of unfamiliar faces until he spotted someone who was familiar to him. He pressed his face closer to the metal grilling and he felt a tinge of happiness growing inside him upon casting his eyes on Bryan Fury. His former partner was dressed in a black suit and his typical careless hair was nicely groomed. This was probably the first time Lei saw Bryan dressed like a gentleman. His usual angry expression was not present on his face. He seemed fairly composed, somewhat like Kazuya Mishima.

Bryan turned to look up to him (at least that's what he thought) and a smile surfaced on Lei's face. He reached his hand forward as if to touch him, but all he could feel was the cold iron that separated him from Bryan.

"Lei?"

Wulong snapped out of his imaginations and answered blankly to Yoshimitsu on the other line. "I'm at the second intersection."

Lei dared to look back down but this time Kunimitsu, who looked dreadfully stunning in a black strapless satin gown, appeared beside Bryan. She spoke to him in the most graceful manners, her dark-gloved hands moving in fluid motions. Lei watch as that same hand sneaked its way around Bryan's arm and he couldn't refrain from feeling a bit jealous of this.

"You have to move a little faster, Lei. Kiyoshi and Yasuo are almost at their designated areas."

The Chinese sighed, with the image of Bryan still fresh in his memory, before moving forward once again. Somehow this task suddenly became tedious for him. Now that he saw Fury, he wanted more of it.

"Yoshitmitsu, why did you come to me for help of all people? There're a few other people who would qualify for this job."

"I'm surprised you brought up this subject again but knowing you...As I have said before, I can't approach the police or any other authority. With my appearance, they'd sooner arrest me before Kazuya and his men."

"I know but...couldn't you have asked one of your other men to do this?"

"Remember that day when I saved you? My party and I fought with Kunimitsu's ninja and a handful of my people were injured badly. Only two of my best men managed to recover."

"I guess you thought I was pretty expendable." Lei said, sounding almost resentful.

"Oh come now, Lei! Do you really think I would use you? I promised I'd give something in return. Besides, you're agile enough for the job."

"Nice try."

Upon hearing the mention of their deal, Lei thought about what he desired in return but wasn't sure if he knew how to say it in words. He feared, among other fears, of Yoshimitsu's reaction if told him. Crawling deeper into the darkness, various memories from his bittersweet past played in his mind. Lost in his confusion and fears, he felt the silent walls closing in on him.

There might not even be an exit.


	7. Spark the Fire and All Falls Down

**Angel in the Dark Sky**

**A/N:** This chapter is the longest I've written yet. It is still to be determined whether my writing skills have actually improved over a span of 2 years, since last submitting a chapter.

While dutifully jotting down parts of this chapter, it came to me that my understanding of Lei and Bryan's characters has changed quite a bit. Although I did read the previous chapters left, right, up, and down, I apologize in advance if there is a notable change in the direction of the overall story line.

Aside from that, I hope you enjoy reading the following chapter:

**Chapter 7: Spark the Fire and All Falls Down  
**

Lei lifted himself up the ladder, the fourth one being the last that he had to endure climbing on, knowing fully well that it would lead him up the third floor. His breathing was even more labored now, due to the lack of air inside the ducts. His exhaustion didn't help either.

A closed end stopped him dead on his tracks. Out of frustration, the detective made a vain attempt in pushing the bolted cover so that somehow it might budge open.

"This thing's completely shut. I can't open it!"

"Must you always whine when you're stuck in a corner?" Yoshimitsu chuckled at his own pun. "Use your gun, for crying-out-loud. That's what it's there for."

_Oh yeah_... Lei felt dumb at his own alarm.

"And you're supposed to be 'supercop'."

"Quit the snide remarks, buddy. If I had my way, I'd be out of here in a second." 'Here' being the hellhole he was in.

He fired his gun at each corners of the metal cover and yanked it off. With that small barrier out of the way, Lei felt very relieved as he hopped out into the dark corridor on the third floor.

"I assume you're on the third floor by now?"

"You assumed correctly." Lei replied, checking both ways around the corner just in case somebody walked in unexpectedly.

"There's a stairwell to your right. Take it all the way up to the fifteenth floor. Avoid the elevator at all costs."

"You make my job _so_ easy, Yoshimitsu."

Lei found the stairwell and stared dumbfounded at the never-ending stairs spiraling upwards as if trying to reach the heavens. He took his first steps sluggishly; after taking a few more his pace quickened. He didn't even realize he was climbing the stairs in such haste as if he was being chased by the echo of his footsteps. He finally paused, leaning on the wall upon reaching the tenth floor. He wiped the sweat dripping from the brow of his reddened face, panting, taking a moment to catch his breath. Yoshimitsu must have been out of his mind, he thought, expecting him to climb such ridiculous heights.

Beneath the isolated sound of his breathing was the deafening silence that was driving him abnormally paranoid. His irrational fear outweighed his physical exhaustion and it was enough to force him to resume climbing again. He was dying to get out.

Thankfully, he reached the end of the staircase. The door was there but it refused to open to Lei.

"It's locked." The detective gravely stated.

"Naturally--this floor is off-limits to non-employees. Use the lock pick."

As he picked at the lock, Lei mentally cursed himself for being so reliant on Yoshimitsu. He had found many ways to open a locked door in the past and he was stumped as to why he couldn't have figured it out himself. He slowly cracked open the door slightly, peeking through the narrow slit. The area was quite illuminated but fortunately there wasn't anyone in sight.

"Shit!" He cursed under his breath as soon as he spotted a moving surveillance camera on the ceiling, swiftly shutting the door in the process.

"Sorry about that, Lei. I just contacted Kiyoshi to see if he's inside the control room. He'll disable the lights soon."

Lei sighed nervously. "You could have told me that sooner!"

"The lights are out! Quickly make your way to Sector B!"

Wulong did what he was told spitefully. If he was going to put his life on the line for a bunch of vigilantes, a heads up would have been suffice. He stopped moving when he heard approaching footsteps up ahead. Lei gingerly peered around the corner and saw two guards walking towards his way. The detective panicked for a minute, and then an idea came to his mind. All of the lights were off but he noticed a lone ceiling fluorescent just above the guards. Oblivious to Lei's presence, the two guards examined the darkness around them with their flashlights.

"Damn. What happened to the lights?" One of the guards said to the other.

"I don't know. They already sent a mechanic to fix the problem."

The guards continued their idle talk as Lei looked on. Now would be the perfect time to try out his exquisite silenced Makarov pistol. He peeked to the right again, this time aiming his gun at the light above. With one quick press of the trigger, the light vanished and darkness enclosed the now startled guards. There were murmurs being exchanged but Lei ignored them.

Facing the opposite wall, Lei broke into a short run towards it, kicked one foot forward then rebounded. He grabbed a hold of the pipe fixed on the ceiling and wrapped his legs around it.

"Lei, you need to get the door code from one of the guards."

"Give me a minute. I'm trying to figure out which lucky guy to pick on."

Stealthily, he edged forward until one guard was directly below him. He freed his arms as he hung upside-down, and then whipped his gun hard against the back of the guard's head. He fell with a loud thud that caught the other guard's attention. However, as he ran to his partner's aid, once he was within reach, Lei grabbed the opportunity and the startled enemy's neck.

"I know you're probably dying to get back to the party so I'll keep it short. What's the door code for Sector B?" Lei said in a hushed voice, arms firmly locked around his captive.

The guard struggled for a bit.

"I ain't tellin' you nothin'! You're some kind of rookie, aren't you? You don't scare me!"

This obviously ticked Lei off, as his grip tightened to a painful degree. The guard started choking against Lei's almost steel-hard grip, his arms and legs flailing about helplessly.

"If you don't give me the code the moment you open your mouth again, you'll soon be joining you're partner on the floor."

"Ackk!! Three-zero-eight-two!"

"Thanks."

The guard let out a strangled gasp before collapsing on the floor. Lei almost felt bad for wringing the man's neck as he dropped himself down to land on his feet. He ignored his inner voice and focused back to his mission. He recalled the floor schematics in his head and lead his way to the lab. Surprisingly, no one was guarding the outside of the laboratory, but Lei wasn't complaining either. He punched in the code on the number pad and watched the glass doors part in front of him.

"What's your status, Lei?"

"I'm inside the lab now." The detective said as he passed by test tubes, devices, and all sorts of apparatuses.

"Great job! You're better than I thought. I was a little worried at first but you've definitely lifted my hopes up."

"Don't get too excited yet. I still have to figure out where they stored the sample."

Putting on his detective skills to work, Lei looked above and below him. The walkway he was on was narrow and it led him all the way to the back of the laboratory. At the end of the narrow walkway, there was a small compartment resting on top of a working table that caught the detective's eye. Not particularly an expert in scientific contraptions, Lei concluded in his own mind that it was a mini-fridge of some sort, used to store perishable items. However, being a logical person like himself, he knew that something valuable must be contained inside, taking note of yet another keypad stamped on its cover. The sample must be inside, Lei thought.

"Hey, I think I found something. A locked storage box of some sort. " Lei said, looking over the compartment. "Hold on, I'm going to see if I can find the code."

Common sense told him to start searching the computer databases for clues. Surely whoever locked up the compartment would have made a reference to the code as a fail-safe. There were numerous computers scattered about in several working stations. Lei accessed the one closest to where he was. A prompt instantly popped up as soon as he touched the keyboard, demanding a password. The detective let out an annoyed groan.

"I'm all out of options. It seems everything in this place is password-protected."

"Kiyoshi, can you hack into their system and find the code?"

There was an exchange of words between the two distant persons. For the first time, Lei was able to hear one of the other ninja speak. Judging by the character of his voice, he was most likely 10 years younger than Lei.

"I'm already on it." Kiyoshi said. "Give me a few minutes."

As the anxious detective momentarily waited, a few concerns that he had brushed aside earlier had resurfaced.

"What if they already began mass-producing the sample? This thing's probably one of hundreds more..."

"Maybe, but highly doubtful." Yoshimitsu reassured. "Dr. Boskonovitch was the one who developed the gene, back when he used to work for Heihachi Mishima. Unfortunately for Kazuya, the doctor was already evicted from his role as the corporation's top scientific advisor before he could gain valuable information about the gene."

"In other words..."

"Even if they had the sample, they have no idea how its mechanism works. I'm sure Kazuya wanted to keep it safe while they figure out how to mass-produce it, as you would say."

Though Yoshimitsu's words were meant to ease his anxiety, he felt anything but unworried. There were still missing pieces to the whole picture, along with the unsettled fate of Steve Fox's body. That being said, he hadn't been able to locate where Fox's body had been preserved. The surreptitious ninja had said to him before that his body might have been kept somewhere in the building but the exact location was very hard to pinpoint that it was almost pointless to try. Acquiring the sample is the main objective, Yoshimitsu had said to him. Leave everything else to me. Lei was going to ask Yoshimitsu about his obscure statement when Kiyoshi interrupted from the other end.

"Lei, the code is twenty-four, zero-six, thirty-one."

"Got it."

"One more thing..." Kiyoshi trailed off. "I thought I saw someone heading to your floor. I don't mean to alarm you, but try to finish up as fast as you can."

Lei needed no further encouragement and went right to work. It was all straight-forward from this point: punch in the code, grab the sample, and head to the rooftop to make his escape.

First thing's first.

_24..._

_06..._

_31..._

There was a click...but it wasn't the lock.

Lei felt the solid end of a gun behind his head.

"I don't know how you got in here, but it looks like I can never have one night without running into you."

* * *

"What's taking him so long?" Yasuo said, slightly annoyed. He was sitting on the pilot's seat of the helicopter. "Kiyoshi's already here. I say we leave him behind."

The head Manji clan leader, who was sitting close to the edge of the open cabin door, shook his head.

"No," he said unwaveringly. "We will wait for him."

The idea of leaving Lei behind had crossed his mind once, but his conscience begged differently. He made a promise to Lei and he would honor those words just as Lei had honored his.

* * *

Bryan's left hand grasped Lei's shoulder and shoved him towards the opposite wall, causing the detective to painfully hit his back against the edge of the counter. The impact knocked his headset off onto the floor, cutting off his only means of communication with Yoshimitsu. Lei stayed in his position, kept in check by the gun aimed at his face.

"I'll save you the insults for later, Lei. Right now, I want to know what the fuck you're doing up here. You're not a scientist and I'm sure as hell you weren't invited either."

"It's my job to investigate this place." Lei replied, looking his assailant in the eyes. "I have enough evidence to prove that this conglomerate is involved in illegal activities."

What seemed to be out of nowhere and inappropriate, the silver-haired man bursted into a cruel, sickening laughter. The guttural tone of his guffaw reverberated through Lei's body.

"And you sneaking your way into this building isn't illegal." Bryan retorted sarcastically. "Stop making excuses, Lei. It just makes you look dumber than you already are." He grinned. "Besides, I know exactly what you came here for."

There was something forbidding in that last sentence and Lei has yet to know what it was.

The tall, intimidating man took a few steps back to pull out something from the recently unlocked compartment. In his grasp was a test tube sealed with a metal casing. He held it up for Lei to see. There was little light inside the laboratory but Lei knew that it contained the REGEN gene.

"This is more than a piece of genetic code. It's a curse. Once it's in your hands, Kunimitsu's men will be hunting you down like a pack of wolves." Bryan assured, steadily closing the gap between him and Lei. "Not even Yoshimitsu can save you."

The detective's thoughts were torn into two: one side desperately finding a way to escape, the other half curiously wondering what Bryan had meant. Although the latter was just as important, it wouldn't do him any good if he couldn't get past Bryan alive. Fighting him wasn't an option, Lei realized, as he could clearly remember the outcome of their recent confrontation.

When Fury was about a foot away, Lei thrust his leg forward and kicked the test tube from his enemy's grasp. Amidst Fury's state of surprise, Lei caught the fragile item and dive-rolled to the right, removing himself from the disadvantage position. During the split-second of Lei's escape, Fury let out an angry grunt and fired a couple of successive shots at the detective. However, Lei had already blended into the darkness, hiding behind a large console. He could see through his night vision-enabled eyes that Fury was shuffling around blindly, searching for him.

"Come out and face me, Wulong!" Bryan called out, his anger quite apparent from the tone of his voice.

His sharp, well-trained ears detected a faint sound coming from the petri dish-filled countertop to his left. Without making any noise, he inched closer and whipped out his gun... only to aim at nothing.

"Fuck!"

At the exact moment he turned his head, he was struck hard on the head with a heavy metallic object. Lei had snuck behind him and swung the laboratory microscope he managed to grab from the equipment tray. Surprisingly, it was more than enough to knock his opponent to the ground unconscious.

Lei might as well have won the lottery that night because the chances of Bryan being floored by him was almost zero to none. He hesitated on leaving his former partner in this state but he knew this was absolutely no time for him to falter.

With his path completely clear, Lei dashed to the nearest exit.

* * *

Twelve minutes had passed since Lei's last transmission. For the three ninja, it seemed like forever. Every passing second was just as nerve-racking as the last one. The inevitable risk of being caught grew exponentially.

Just as Yoshimitsu was about to throw his hands up and give in to Yasuo's incessant nagging, the detective came running across the open rooftop whilst fighting against gusty winds.

"Over here, Lei!"

The heaving man threw himself into the confines of the helicopter where his teammates waited. Yasuo, who was already keen on flying off a long time ago, started the engine. The propellers whirred into life, lifting the aircraft higher into the evening sky.

Lei handed the highly regarded vial to Yoshimitsu and was given a nod of approval in return.

"I can't thank you enough, Lei. Dr. Boskonovitch will be pleased."

Kiyoshi nodded in agreement. Yasuo, from where he was sitting in the cockpit, gave his praises as well. Despite all that, Lei simply waved his hand indolently.

"I'd like to go home now, if you don't mind." he said. "I've had enough for one night."

"We can drop you off anywhere you wish." Kiyoshi offered. With the seriousness of the operation behind them, his friendly nature finally came into full view. Right after securing the sample, Yoshimitsu followed through with Kiyoshi's suggestion.

Like a gambler pulling out his wild card, the Manji clan leader took out something that caught Lei's immediate attention.

"What are you doing?" the detective asked, tensing up all over again.

Yoshimitsu systematically began to explain as he held a small device in his hand.

"We may have the sample, but it's no use if Kazuya still has access to its source."

"What are you implying?" Lei returned, his gaze still on the unknown device.

"This remote will set off the C4s Yasuo planted within the building. It will destroy the laboratory, along with Steve Fox's remains."

That single sentence, the hidden meaning behind his self-sacrificing mission, was enough to push Lei over the edge.

"No!" Lei protested but was held back by Kiyoshi. "That wasn't part of the plan! This is not what I agreed to!"

It wasn't just because he had been deceived right from the beginning. It was the realization that by doing the work of these people, he had completely gone against his own values, and that was the one thing that hit him hard the most.

"I understand your concern, Lei, but the consequences will be far worse if we let Kazuya experiment on his body even further." Yoshimitsu said calmly without ill-will, despite how cold his words were.

"What you're doing is terrorism!" Lei insisted. "People will get hurt--innocent people!"

"There will be some bloodshed, but that is how it will be."

That was Yoshimitsu's rationale, put together in one short and bleak sentence.

Without another word of the matter, he pressed the button and a large explosion lit up the night sky in a blaze of hellish smoke and fire. Time slowed down; every second etched into his mind, like watching a car crash happening before his eyes. Watching as the Mishima Zaibatsu crumble unceremoniously to the ground.

Lei felt powerless, his body physically restrained, unable to do anything. This state he was in, he hadn't felt in a long time. All those vows he made turned to ashes as soon as he had willingly become a part of this mess. How could he have let this happen? People he knew were inside that building--his co-workers, friends, prominent figureheads...

Bryan.


	8. Left at the Bottom of the World

**Angel in the Dark Sky**

**A/N: Wow! Two years since I last updated! I wonder if I'll be able to finish this story before the world ends (2012)?**

**Chapter 8: Left at the Bottom of the World**

The station was busy as usual. Documents swapped in between traffics of officers hurrying to carry out their duties. There was much chatter, but mostly of the business kind. Amidst the usual fanfare at the station was the uneasy tension in the air. Today, everyone was following the same headline news on TV...

_- A CELEBRATION ENDED IN TRAGEDY LAST NIGHT AT THE MISHIMA ZAIBATSU WHEN EXPLOSIVES WERE SET OFF, KILLING 10 PEOPLE AND SERIOUSLY INJURING AT LEAST 50 PEOPLE, INCLUDING NONE OTHER THAN THE CEO OF THE CORPORATION - KAZUYA MISHIMA -_

A footage of Kazuya Mishima's brief interview was then played, which showed him propped up with pillows on a hospital bed, several parts of his body in bandages including his head. Lei, who was among the crowd of people watching the news, could no longer stand seeing his own shameful doing and withdrew into the privacy of his own office.

On his lunch break, Lei settled himself with nothing but a cup of cold coffee in his hand. When circumstances became too taxing for him, food was no longer extraneous but bothersome. Lei had many things to stress over that day... Coming into terms with his guilty conscience was hard, but even more so when reports of the Mishima Zaibatsu's demise were all over the morning news.

Lei took a deep breath and exhaled. His cup was empty so he went to the staff lunch room to get some more. Several officers were congregating around the coffee dispenser, talking among themselves loudly. When Lei entered the room, they immediately grew quiet and stared at him silently. Lei didn't even give them a second glance. These were the same people who spent more time tittle-tattling than doing anything productive and liked to crowd around inanimate objects.

When Lei approached the coffee dispenser, the crowd sidestepped to the left like pigeons on a sidewalk. Lei was pouring himself a hot batch of coffee and it didn't take long for the whispering to begin:

"You know, it's strange... He was the only one who was invited that didn't show up at the party."

"Uh-hmm... it's like he knew what was going to happen."

"Probably. He's pretty shady, if you ask me. I heard a lot about him from his former teammates in Hong Kong."

"...Hey, anybody saw last night's episode of _Big Brother?_"

Lei closed the door behind him as he left the lunchroom. Granted, there was some truth to what they were saying, but Lei could not bear to hear it from their vile mouths.

"Lei!"

At the call of his name, Lei was sharply grasped by the shoulder. The weary detective turned his head and his eyes were locked into Hayate's. The much younger detective, dressed in his typical white shirt and black tapered pants, looked very perturbed. Lei had no idea why but he felt uneasy.

"I don't care what everyone else says, Lei." Hayate said in a raised voice. "I know you're innocent!"

Taken aback by Hayate's words, Lei's face softened. He wondered why his subordinate was saying this to him, and with such conviction.

"What?"

Hayate planted his hands on his hips, looked down, and heaved a sigh.

"I'm didn't mean to startle you. It just that... I'm upset about what I've been hearing a lot from the other officers."

"What exactly did you hear?"

"...that you're secretly working with Bryan Fury."

Something snapped inside Lei. Without thinking, he slipped a few too many words, more that he had intended to.

"I am not working with Bryan Fury! We were partners years ago, but that was before he died."

"You mean before Dr. Abel rebuilt him as a cyborg?" Hayate clarified.

He was aware, to some degree, of Lei's past with Fury. The details were a bit fuzzy to him, but he had a clear idea of how prolific their professional relationship was. While most of the officers frowned upon Lei's connection with the former-INTERPOL-officer-turned-criminal, Hayate did not so much as passed judgement on his superior. In some ways, it made Lei more tolerable of his rookie subordinate.

"Yes." Lei muttered as he finally realized what he had just said to Hayate. "I believe you have upset me more than you realize. I don't like my past being brought up."

"Sorry."

The two detectives shared a brief moment of silence. Lei, knowing he had unfinished work to do, had this to say to his subordinate before going back to his office:

"I can't change how the others perceive me, and in all honesty, it's the least of my worries. As upsetting as it is to you, Hayate, you need to focus more on your job than office gossip."

* * *

There were only two instances in his life in which Bryan truly felt alive: once, when he had died while eluding incensed INTERPOL officers, then brought back to life by Dr. Abel; the second time, and most recent, was when he almost died from being crushed by a collapsing building. He didn't know how but had he not been pulled out from the wreckage immediately, it would have been the end of his monotonous life. He would not be lying on that cold bed, lost in his own thoughts. You never really pay attention to anything until you came close to losing your life.

Bryan was looking up at the ceiling, watching the shadows play around the single fluorescent light above him. He took a deep breath, taking in the distinct smell of a well-sanitized room, reminiscent of a typical hospital. However, he was in another place much less equipped than a standard hospital. What was once a store room had been hastily transformed into a makeshift recovery room. There were soft humming of machines, filling the dimly-lit room. Wires scattered on the floor below his bed. A disconnected IV pole stood beside him, next to a vital signs monitor. The ECG machine beeped rhythmically.

A slight creak of the door opening had stimulated his acute sense and Bryan immediately refocused his attention to the young woman who entered the room. Her appearance betrayed her occupation: kind eyes, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail, and immaculate white uniform. The nurse approached Bryan without hesitation, her blue clipboard craddled to her chest.

Bryan replaced his own arm over his head and breathed.

"It's just you."

"You don't sound happy to see me," the nurse replied with a tolerant smile, obviously used to having sarcastic remarks thrown at her from her patients. She opened her clipboard and glanced briefly at her notes.

"I'm going to ask a few questions to start off my assessment."

Bryan groaned at this.

"What is your name?" the nurse asked.

"Bryan Fury."

"Time and date?"

The former detective glanced up at the calendar and clock.

"Eight-forty-five, July twenty-three, twenty-twelve."

"Do you know where you are?"

Bryan thought for a moment before answering.

"In an underground bunker in Fukasawa, Meguro-ku."

Astonished by her patient's last reply, the nurse abruptly looked up from her notes.

"I'm surprised you knew the answer to that, considering you were unconscious when you got here," she said, smiling. "It looks like you've completely regained your mental capabilities. I find it almost hard to believe how confused and delirious you were four days ago."

The nurse continued her routine assessments, going through her checklist.

"Your lab results came back normal this morning. The doctor okay'd everything so you're free to go. How's your pain?"

"I can manage," Bryan stated flatly, not showing any excitement towards the nurse's report. Despite this, Bryan admitted to himself that he was at least relieved that he did not need to be bed-ridden anymore.

The young nurse watched carefully as Bryan lifted himself off the bed to stand on his own feet. And like a good nurse, she immediately noted the way Bryan squeezed his eyes and clenched his teeth as he moved.

"I can give you some oxycontin to alleviate the pain," she offered.

"What's the use?" Bryan scoffed, waving his hand carelessly. "I've developed a high tolerance for pain meds, remember?"

"That's true but I'm sure Dr. Kanata can give you a higher dose..."

Without another word, Bryan strode past the nurse, ignoring her last comment altogether. The slight limp in his step worried her even more. However, she knew Bryan well enough to not push his patience over the edge so she did not protest. Unfortunately for Bryan, his exit he was stopped short by a figure that appeared under the door frame. The sight of Kunimitsu's striking deep-red locks was straining to his eyes, after being surrounded by an environment of monochromatic greys for a long period of time. The whiteness of her face contrasted with her hair very much that it gave her hair an even angrier shade of red.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kunimitsu asked in her accusing tone of voice, which Bryan knew too well.

"I don't have to stay here," Bryan said, his unwavering tall stature easily overshadowing Kunimitsu's shorter frame, "and I don't have to explain anything to you."

Kunimitsu narrowed her eyes and regarded his face meticulously.

"I think it would be redundant for me to tell you that I don't trust you completely. What happened this past week has done nothing but implicate you even more."

Bryan drew another breath, only this time the nurse noticed it was more ragged and tensed. She realized that she was now standing in the way of two equally dangerous people, ready to pounce on each other at the drop of a hat. With her head bowed down and her dark eyes lowered to the ground, she excused herself and left the room unnoticed.

"What did I do to make you question where I stand? I had Lei backed into a corner and where were you? Downstairs standing pretty in front of everybody! If you'd been with me he wouldn't have gotten away."

"Hah!" Kunimitsu feigned surprise. "How typical of you to point the finger at me. Let's not forget what happened in that alley where we had that detective pinned down. You had the chance to end his life then and there but you let him go." She lowered her eyes and raised her thin eyebrows as if she was contemplating. "That's one mystery I can never solve, unless of course, the most obvious answer is the truth..."

Her sarcastic approach did not do well in keeping Bryan's temperament down. His last name would be a hint to anyone that he was not one to back down from a confrontation.

"You're saying I spared him because I'm on his side?"

"No, Fury, I'm not saying anything at all. Your actions speak for themselves." Kunimitsu stepped around her accomplice, her hands clasped behind her back. "Kazuya remains fully confident in your loyalty to him and right now, you're his favourite 'pet'. But I will tell you this very instance that whatever it is you're plotting, you will not get away with it without a fight."

Bryan's steel-grip was on Kunimitsu's arm in a flash and his lips pressed onto her ear as he spoke in a low gluttural voice.

"Let's be honest with each other for once. We both want the same thing, don't we?"

Kunimitsu turned her head slightly, their eyes meeting, and quirked an eyebrow.

"Are you suggesting that we work together to bring down Kazuya? Forget it, Fury."

"Then lay off my back. Because if you don't," Bryan gripped her to a painful intensity. "I'll crush the bones in your arm the next time you threaten me."

* * *

It did not take long for Bryan to find his way around in Fukasawa. Although he had not been in the area before and the chaotic street-numbering system in Tokyo made it even more disorienting, his very organized and rational way of thinking allowed him to get through such hindrances. It was not sheer luck that he was able to correctly identify his location when the nurse had asked him. He knew that Kazuya settted-up various underground facilities in order to shield his more private activities from the scrutinizing gaze of the police, as well as the public. The Mishima Zaibatsu corporate building, which was the site of Kazuya's celebratory party before its destruction, was located in the business central of Tokyo - the Akasaka Ward. With little time to lose, his battered body would have been sent to the facility closest to the scene of the crime - the facility located in Fukasawa of the Meguro Ward.

A sharp pain on the left side of his abdomen caused him to stumble momentarily and he balanced himself by catching a hold of the wall beside him. He lifted a corner of his shirt slightly, revealing gauze bandaging wrapped around his abdominal area. His curious behaviour temporarily attracted the attention of passerbys, but he didn't care. He regained his composure and continued on with his walk, eventually finding himself in the the downtown core of Tokyo.

Fed up with his mindless wandering and the sardine-like pedestrians, he took shelter in a local pub. There, he sat himself at the bar and ordered a bottle of imported beer. He was always mindful of his surroundings, no matter where he was, so his eyes roamed from one corner of the pub to the other. A group of young people gathered at the karaoke bar. Another group of people, who most likely had never met before, chatted over plates of cold sushi. Those without company gathered in the dimmer areas of the pub where they continued to be left alone.

Bryan turned his attention back to the bottle of beer that was in front of him. How it ended up between his hands, he could not remember. His mind, though working satisfactorily, was still lacking in the short-term memory department. "_Fuck it_," he thought to himself. "_I'm finishing this drink then I'm out of here_."

He raised the bottle to his lips to take a swig from it when someone had absentmindedly brushed past him. This little incident roused his anger and he was not about to let some random drunkard get away without giving him a piece of his mind. He got up from the bar stool and weaved his way out of the pub to chase down the man whose face was obscured by the hood of his jacket.


End file.
